At Chagrin Valley Country Club we met with the General Manager, Jack Goldberg. He informed us that Chagrin occupies a very unique niche to the city of Chagrin Falls. Its community is strongly bound by the social friendliness of the people that reside in Chagrin Falls.
Chagrin has always been known as a family club and has done a lot to appeal to the younger families. The average age at Chagrin is 55 years, with 95% of new members being between 40-45 years old with two kids under the age of twelve. To help include the entire family Chagrin offers children activities such as movie nights, Easter egg hunts, Halloween and other holiday events. There is an excellent junior golf, tennis, and swimming program along with 'Camp Chagrin.' Mr. Goldberg stressed that Chagrin has made their menu more child friendly but in a healthy way. Parents no longer want the club serving just hot dogs and hamburgers to their kids but want healthy options that are still kid friendly.
Chagrin Valley Country Club has 364 members, of which 268 are golf members. It is very unique in that it has no tee times, which allows members to simply walk over and play the course. A unique aspect the course offers is complimentary lemonade and iced tea, which costs the club around $4,000 a year. Such a gesture is not offered by most clubs around. The course was designed by Stanley Thompson, a Canadian man whose style incorporates a natural layout of land with a variety of flowers and trees. The course is the biggest expense to the club: $975,000. The guest policy is that a guest can play up to six times for $115 per round. The course is known to be one of Northeast Ohio's premier venues.
To become a member of Chagrin Valley you must receive an invite and have five member sponsors. The club offers a golf membership and social membership. The social membership has grown at an astonishing rate. In 2007, there were 24 social members while now there are 65. Chagrin has a 7-9% annual turnover rate of members per year, the national average. Mr. Goldberg provided three main reasons members leave the club: 1.) Move out of Cleveland area 2.) Physically cannot play golf anymore (age/injury) 3.) financial commitment. Like many clubs, members who quit are allowed a 2 year leave of absence in case they decide to return. This policy has saved many members from leaving indefinitely. While the course could be easily adapted to make it more challenging for a Pro golf tournament, the width of the course would not allow enough room for the galleries that hold fans who follow the event. Therefore Chagrin will not hold professional events.
Food and Beverage:
Chagrin changed their chef two years ago. After meeting with Chef Carmen, we observed his friendliness and passion to meet the personal desires of the member's dining wants. An outstanding and personal cook makes Chagrin a top option for a family to eat dinner. Mr. Goldberg discussed how challenging it is to provide for the members dining needs. "You have to be able to cook anything from chicken wings to Chateau Briand." Because they do not have an expansive ballroom that can hold large quantities of people, they are unable to hold outside events to generate a positive revenue on food and beverage. This is not uncommon among clubs.
Mr. Goldberg was positive that the economy will bounce back and the club market will rise. He was strong to believe that members will stay as long as the club provides the luxuries that the members seek. Chagrin is still one of the younger clubs around so their future is not dark. Mr. Goldberg finished, "We are not the airlines, we can't keep taking things away and charging people the same amount."
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